The five year old meddler
by dungbombacidpops
Summary: Birthday wishes do come true. well if you are as cute as her then even Merlin can't stop himself from fulfilling it .A short multichapter story about a five year old girl, who meddled so she could have a Dad. A sleeping nanny and utter boredom, might just do the trick. May be she is finally getting her wish fulfilled on this birthday. Guys read and review... A DRAMIONE fic.
1. Chapter 1

**_EDIT: After reading this story again, I realised the blunders I had done. So I am reposting the chapters. The chapters are pretty much same but I have corrected the obvious mistakes. Enjoy._**

 _Come watch how a five-year-old meddled to bring together an arrogant Slytherin prince and a stubborn Gryffindor princess._

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own anything, all hail the Queen JKR._**

 ** _A/n-_** _I know this plot-line has been written and exhausted to death. But I just couldn't stop myself from writing. So guys go ahead and read. It's going to be a short story with 5 to 6 chapters. And no, I haven't forgotten about obliviate! The sequel will be out soon._

 _And don't forget to review, it makes my day._

* * *

She looked at her nanny, dozing on a patch of yellow sunlight as she laid on her back looking at the blueness of the sky. White fluffs of cloud floated from here to there as if chasing each other's tails. She could make out a little fairy and a dragon, and a rabbit in it. She smiled as the rabbit sailed into the dragon's nose. Cloud guessing was her favourite pastime. But her heart wasn't into it today.

She sighed, by far this was the worst birthday, a five-year-old could imagine. First of all, her mum was called into her office to do some important big people work. Though she was very sorry, that she got called, what with her telling sorry and planting a big sloppy kiss every fifteen seconds, yes she had counted. Secondly, her bestest friend in the whole wide world, James, was down with the fever. What was with him and diseases, especially on her birthdays? And as for her dad, he didn't care for her birthday, he never even remembered to send her a card. She was sure, all those big gifts she got from him, a month later than her birthday were probably due to her mum nagging.

And above all, she was utterly bored out of her mind. She tried shaking up her nanny so that they could play hide and seek, but she just mumbled something about hot men and went back to sleeping. She frowned thinking that how a man could be hot, maybe whoever her nanny was dreaming about had a fever. She sighed and thought of exploring the park, but her mum's warning about not straying around stopped her little steps.

Her last birthday came into mind. How her mum had made a huge cake with a dragon sitting on top of it, which spit frosting when you tickled its tummy. How James had eaten so much cake that he had upchucked it all back. She giggled a little as she remembered how Aunt Ginny and Uncle Harry had to leave with a screaming James, apparently he still wanted more cake.

Ah! Good times. She had wished for a dragon, and she had got one. Of course, it was a toy. Her mum had made her promise never to accept any kind of egg from Hagrid, not even a chicken egg though she didn't know why but her mum kept rambling about snakes and spiders and how he could kiss even a blast ended skewrt. Her father hated spiders, maybe she would send one for his birthday and, of course, Uncle George would help. She giggled thinking about it.

Hagrid was … cute?

Maybe there is a surprise later on, who knew. But she could hope.

She thought back to a couple of days, how she had seen her mum crying quietly while doing the dishes. She had asked, but her mum replied that some soap had gone into her eyes. Well, she was five years old, not mental. Oh yes, her mum never showed it to others but she saw the sadness in her eyes. And as that snot face Katy from her playschool said, that every mum needs a dad to stay happy, may be what her mum needed was a dad. Maybe what both of them needed was a dad in their life. So she did what a five-year-old would do, she closed her eyes and wished.

She wished for a dad who would kiss her goodnight, tell her stories, and tickle her in the tummy.

She wished for a dad who was so tall that when he hugged her mum, his arms would go all around, so tall that when she sat on his shoulders, she could touch the sky.

She wished for a dad who would love both of them unconditionally forever and ever.

She opened her eyes to see a man sitting under the apple tree. His hair was the colour of milk, probably he drank a lot of it. But he looked sad. And as it was her birthday she didn't want anyone to be sad. Making sure that her good for nothing nanny was still sleeping, she got up and started walking towards him.

Moreover, he looked tall, and maybe matchmaking her mum wouldn't hurt at all.

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 ** _A/n_** ** _\- so guys do you like it? Should I continue?_**

 ** _Review, review, review fellow Draco lovers…_**


	2. Chapter 2

**_EDIT- I have corrected the mistakes and added bits and pieces here and there._**

 ** _Disclaimer- still not mine, JKR still rules this world._**

 ** _And I am back with the next chapter and I hope with all my heart that you like and review it._**

 ** _Well, off you go with the story._**

* * *

A feeling of relief washed over him as he looked upon the cerulean blue sky. He knew that the world would frown upon him feeling like this, just after burying his father. But then Lucius Malfoy was an evil incarnate, so maybe the world felt relief too.

He had run away from the graveyard where all his pure-blooded fanatic ancestors were laid. He had run away from the cloying perfume of all those people who came to wish their false condolences. He had run away as fast as his legs could carry. He ignored the momentary guilt of leaving his mother in the midst of those vultures who were as made up as the makeup on their faces. Because for once, he wanted to feel how freedom tasted like, yes he was free at last, free from the mask that he was forced to adorn from his childhood.

He remembered back to his third year at Hogwarts. How a well-placed punch from a waif of a brown haired mudblood had not only shattered his jaw but also all of his strongly seized beliefs too. And as the yarn of his long-held principles un-threaded, the intricate design on which his life was based fell into pieces. The change was certainly not sudden. He didn't become a mud-blood hugger the very next day, but he suddenly found his foundation shaky. And, the years of blood, gore and torture didn't help too. The blood of a muggle born was as red as his, purest of the pure. Seeing the people you love getting tortured does that to you.

He tried hard to forget the brown haired girl's vacant eyes, he tried hard to forget her screams reverberating through the walls of the same house in which he had grown up. And as sand slips through the gaps in the fingers, those memories smashed into him. Maybe today he could cleanse himself of all those haunted feelings, and maybe today he could start afresh.

The park he had stumbled upon was deserted, except for a little kid and her mum, who was, by the way, dozing.

He closed his eyes taking in the silence around him, and before he had to go back to all that suffocation, something poked his leg. Well, it was someone. It was that little kid who was sitting near her mum.

Suddenly wary of her, he looked at her with a stern expression asking what her problem was.

"Are you tall?" she asked ignoring his stern look.

"Why are you here all alone, and why is your mum still sleeping when you are here talking to a total stranger?" he said not bothering to even answer her.

"She is not my mum, she is just my nanny because my mum is much prettier than her," she huffed as if he was the one doing something wrong.

"Then your mum should fire that nanny of yours if she is sleeping in the middle of her duty."

"Oh! Don't worry, mum will probably fire Mary, that's her name. I mean that's my nanny's name not my mums, my mum's name is also much prettier than her. And you didn't answer me, are you tall?"

"What do you think?" he asked in return.

"I think you are tall," She replied as if it was a common thing for her to ask complete strangers about their height.

"What's your name?" he asked making himself comfortable, as she looked as if she was in no hurry to go.

"My name is Rosalyn, but you can call me Rose. And I am five years old. What's yours?"

"My name is Draco, and you can call me Draco. And I am 26 years old."

She giggled as if she found it very funny. And in return, he couldn't stop the smile breaking on his face.

"You should laugh a lot more, it makes your face look pretty," she said with an air of knowledge that didn't suit her age.

"Men are never meant to look pretty, they look handsome. And how do you know that I don't smile often?" he huffed.

"Well because you looked sad, a moment back."

He was surprised, that the sadness was so evident on his face that a little kid had picked it on from far away. Maybe his Malfoy façade was slipping.

And without thinking ahead, he actually opened up to a five-year-old girl.

"Yes I am sad, I am sad because I lost something. Though I didn't love that thing any longer, I am still sad that I don't have that anymore" he replied. Draco thought, he had finally lost his marbles if he was opening up to a five-year-old kid.

She kept on listening with a rapt attention as if this was a very serious discussion. She pulled herself onto the bench, beside him.

"When I was 3 years old I had a doll named Henry, he was a hippogriff, and I loved it to bits. But then I got a dragon who I named Fire, so I didn't love Henry anymore. Then one day I lost him. Though I didn't love him anymore still I was sad. So my mum said that it's okay to be sad when you lose someone even when you don't love them now but because you did loved them once. You should feel sad for that love you had once" she said it so much innocence that he was left staring at her adorable face. She patted his hand condescendingly as if he was the five-year-old not her. He was shocked beyond words that how true she was.

And there under the apple tree, Draco realized that, amidst the feeling of relief he was also grieving, yes he was grieving for someone, for who he had no affection left.

But it was true he had loved his father once, once when he was a kid just like the one sitting beside him. He had worshiped the very ground his father had walked on. He was that little boy for whom his father could do nothing wrong, that little kid who had loved his father with all his heart.

So he grieved for that little boy ... that boy who had lost his father today.

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 ** _A/n- I know, I know Rose sounds wise beyond her age. But I think that as she being you-know-who's (not that snake faced psychotic murderer; I don't want to give away who is Rose's mum just yet) daughter, she's bound to sound like her. Her favorite book perhaps would be History of Hogwarts just like her mum._**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER- STILL NOT BLOODY MINE.**

 **Don't forget to review ;-)**

* * *

 _PREVIOUSLY …_

 _And there under the apple tree, Draco realized that, amidst the feeling of relief he was also grieving._

 _Yes, he was grieving for someone, for who he had no affection left._

 _But it was true he had loved his father once, once when he was a kid like the one sitting beside him._

 _He had worshiped the very ground his father had walked. He was that little boy for whom his father could do nothing wrong, that little kid who loved his father with all his heart._

 _So he grieved for that little boy, who had lost his father_ _today._

* * *

"I am sorry if I made you sad," she said, her eyes filling up with the unshed tears for making some stranger, who she didn't know from bygone, upset.

"No, you didn't. I was… I was just saying goodbye" with those words Draco did, he really did shed those weights from his heart and bid farewell to a relation that could have been the most precious and the strongest of his life.

Draco looked at the little kid, who in that short time had conquered his heart, or whatever of it was left anyway, completely. He tried not to dwell any more on his morose thoughts and so as to not upset the little angel sitting beside him any further, he directed the conversation towards her.

"Does your nanny sleeps a lot while looking after you?" Draco asked, getting a little worried for her and silently admonishing the kid's mum too, for her carelessness.

What had the world has come to, a Malfoy caring for someone else other himself. Rita Skeeter would have a field day if she knew.

"Uh … well, she isn't the regular one. Mrs. Paup my actual nanny, has gone to meet her daughter so she wasn't there. My mum … well, she didn't have any plan to go to the minister's place today, as it's my birthday. She always takes a day off on my birthday. But then she was called and had to go. She was even muttering something about how that dingbat of a boss hated her" she said, her eyes shining up with mischievous laughter.

Draco heaved a sigh of relief that this was not a daily occurrence. He would have to go and have a talk with the mum about that insolent nanny. Thank the Merlin, that it was just him. He shivered thinking what could have happened if it was some ghastly person. Then again he would come in that category too, wouldn't he?

"So your mum works in the minister's place," Draco asked guessing that it was the ministry. He bit back a growl thinking, how could a mother leave her child in reckless hands and go to work. Isn't her father capable enough to provide for both of them? Well before his train of thought went far ahead something struck.

Well, wait a minute didn't she say it was her birthday today.

"Yes, yes she does. Uh huh … and mum will surely get angry when she would know that, Mary slept while working and then her hair will get all frizzy and wild. Uncle Harry always said that when mum gets angry her hair looks like as if she had stuck a finger in the electric plug," Rose said and laughed gleefully imagining.

She kept on talking a mile a minute, oblivious to his thoughts.

Draco guessed from all the muggle words that, she perhaps was half-blood or a muggle born. But for the first time he didn't feel anything, maybe he was getting soft. Or maybe had finally buried those long held beliefs along with his father.

"But she did say that we could have a wonderful picnic when she came back. To celebrate me turning, five years old. It's a big number, you know. And you are welcome to our picnic too."

She talked till her breath lasted. And for a moment, he was worried that, she would go on talking until she turned blue. Before she could launch into another spiel of non-ending chatter he asked.

"So it's your birthday today. Forgive me I should have wished you."

"No problem you didn't know, you can wish me now if you want."

"Happy birthday to you Rosalyn who likes to be called Rose. May you get all that you wish for and a lot more."

She giggled that sweet smile of hers. "I am working on my wish so that it gets fulfilled," said Rose.

"Would you like to tell me what your wish was? Maybe I could help you with it?" Draco inquired.

"I can't tell you that, you big doofus. Don't you know, a wish told to others doesn't get fulfilled" she chirped.

"Oh, Merlin! You are breaking this old man's heart over here with all these secrets," said Draco, ignoring that she was the only person to call him stupid … on his face of course.

And then he laughed along with her. His laugh came out all rusty and rough as if it had been a long time ago that it was used.

"And how many presents have you got till now?" he asked jovially.

"Umm… well, let's see the extra kisses that I got today morning from my Mum doesn't count. And my bestest friend James had let it slip last week only about the potions kit he would gift me. He can't keep any secrets, that's James. And Nana and Pa's gift should reach by evening I think, it always does. Uncle and Aunt too" said Rose bubbling with excitement thinking about it.

"And what about your father, little Rose. I am sure he would have already given you your present," asked Draco, with a smile stretching on his lips.

A look of utter sadness crossed her pretty face. The laughter lighting her eyes vanished.

"My father isn't with us," said Rose so softly that Draco was sure he would have missed if he wasn't so attuned to her.

Draco bit back a groan. Perhaps they were both alike each other more than he had thought. Both have been losers in that department. She had lost a father too.

"He still talks to me from time to time and sometimes he even comes on the daily puppet too," she said.

'Daily puppet'? Oh, it must be the Daily Prophet, Draco thought. So he wasn't dead, he was just a bloody idiot. He looked at the beautiful girl who sat beside him and thought … who would leave this bundle of joy behind?

"And don't worry about the gift. He does send me … when he remembers."

His heart broke along with her. A strong sense of Deja-vu assailed over him.

Because the scene was same, the pain was same, the hurt was also same. It was just a different time and a different set of eyes that had shed those tears. Years ago a gray-eyed little boy had sat wide-eyed on the morning of his birthday waiting for his father to remember … so had the brown eyed girl who sat beside him.

Not able to see the child on the verge of tears Draco waved his wand and conjured a snow globe or rather a summer globe for her because a girl like her should always be warm. Inside the globe, a beautiful brown haired girl twirled, as a smattering of butterflies chased around her. And when he shook the globe it lighted up as if hundreds of sun shone on it.

Draco adopted a jovial tone and grabbed her attention.

"What absolute blasphemy! A girl on her birthday without a gift. Far be from it," he said in an overly dramatic voice and presented the gift with a flourish.

And as Rose saw the gift her eyes lighted up as if this was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. With something close to awe, she looked at it. She extended her hand to touch it with reluctance. And as Draco saw her hesitation he replied, "Go ahead touch it, it won't break as I have put an unbreakable charm on it."

"This is the prettiest gift I have ever got, well, it's close to the quidditch set my Uncle Harry had given me last year," she told him impishly.

A sense of happiness filled him seeing her toothy smile.

And seriously this 'Uncle Harry' was getting on his last nerves. Draco actually snorted, or he snorted as much as a Malfoy could snort in the presence of a company (as it was considered a very un-Malfoy thing to do). Was he getting jealous? Nah! It couldn't be ... never.

What no, no, no, he wasn't jealous.

Hmm...

But something was amiss. He couldn't actually pinpoint what was the thing, but it was something.

Why did the girl, reminded him of someone?

Someone who had also talked a mile a minute.

Someone with a bushy head of hair, the wild curls billowing as if they had a life of their own so like the girl in front of him.

Why did her strength remind him of another girl, a girl who had once punched the daylights out of him once?

Someone who had started the change in his life, someone who had been a catalyst of his transformation years ago… just like this little girl had done, today.

Draco was pulled from his thoughts as a banshee-like-scream pierced through the silence around him. Without even thinking, his self-defense kicked into force and unconsciously he whipped his wand towards the offending sound while at the same time pushing Rose behind himself, protecting her from any harm.

"ROSE!" the owner of the offending voice called out looking frantically around the park while the nanny or rather the stupid bint cowered beside her.

Her eyes came to rest on the little girl, peeking from behind him. She looked livid and mad as a hatter. And Draco thought that it would be a cold day in the place where Voldemort resided now before he could forget that voice. A voice that had been with him for a long time. A petulant voice that had always been with him. A voice he had almost forgotten amidst the chaos in his mind. Well almost.

And oh man! How could he have missed that?

Draco looked at Rose whose eyes had grown round as saucer. How could he have missed the chocolate brown riot of curls so, like her mum, he could make out the hint of red in there when the sun heat at an angle, surely a Weasley's trait. But oddly the combination made her more adorable rather than the ghastly color the millions of that clan sported.

Draco thought about her father, and he remembered reading somewhere in the prophet about their divorce, well, this what you get when you coalesce with those bloody carrot tops.

Trust that Weasley to lose the most beautiful part of his sad excuse of a life, and while thinking that, surprisingly he included both of the girls. Out of which, one was striding towards them with such a force, that he was afraid ... only a little. Maybe, he should pull up a shield charm around himself … at least.

Facing the woman who defeated the dark lord- well, he doubted those two dunderheads were any help at all- would be foolish of him.

What? He was a Malfoy. They knew when standing back is the braver thing to do.

Draco looked at the aforementioned woman or rather the banshee because it was all very debatable at that moment.

Her sole focus was on the girl standing beside him. She looked livid, and that was putting it lightly. Her hair looked as if they had a fight with the blast ended skewrts and have … well … lost. And she probably didn't need a pepper-up potion, because steam was already gushing out of her ears.

"Uh huh! Oops! Looks like she is angry, very angry," said Rose, who looked guilty as hell.

"You don't say," Draco replied back dryly.

"Looks like we both are in trouble."

"What? Where did 'we' come from?" Draco asked incredulously and gawked at the little girl.

"Uh huh!" Rose replied sweetly while slipping her tiny hands into his much larger ones and gripping it tightly.

Draco looked up from their joined hands to the vision marching towards them, something akin to hope filled his heart. It had been a long time before he had felt like this, so much that, it felt foreign and outlandish to him. And the funny thing was, he didn't even knew why. That girl, that girl whose life he had made damn sure to wreck. Well, his being a stupid little snot at that time was beside the point, so hope was the last thing he should be feeling.

And along with hope, there was excitement and … and something … something so pure that he couldn't even put a name on it.

Oh … he had felt those pesky emotions once, a long time back. A long time back for the same girl, the girl approaching towards him.

And Draco Malfoy was afraid, afraid to put a name to that feeling. So he did what he always did. He packed those galling emotions in a neat little box and put it aside for later perusal.

"ROSALYN JANE GRANGER! " she growled in such a low voice that Draco was sure no one could hear it, well, except that ugly orange fur ball of hers, which she called a cat… 'Crookedskank' or something.

"What do you think you are doing? Taking off without having informed your nanny. And what have I taught you about talking with strangers? You, young missy, can kiss a goodbye to the T.V privileges this week and quidditch with James too" she rumbled.

Draco changed his posture to a more comfortable position because he knew it would a long time before Hermione Granger surfaced back and looked at him to bite his head off.

And trust him he tried, he had tried, but alas he couldn't stop that irksome smirk from spreading on his face.

What! Don't frown, the Malfoy's had a copyright on that smirk? If he could dare to say, he would say that the smirk was passed from generations of Malfoy's to the next one.

He imagined a snarky pointy faced Malfoy Sr teaching a snarky pointy faced Malfoy Jr, telling him to subtly lift the corner of his lips and look down at people, as if they don't even deserve to be under their five thousand galleons worth Italian crocodile skin shoes and, of course, with a side dish of torture going in the background, to you know ... set the mood.

That smirk, Draco was quite sure would ignite those pretty curls of one Hermione Granger.

And he was very eager to know that, if the degree of her fury was directly proportional to the frizzing of her famous curls … or not.

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 **A/N- any kind of review or comment or PM is much appreciated.**

 **So go ahead and make my day… by reviewing of course.**


	4. Chapter 4

" _ **Sometimes we find the things we want the most, in the unlikeliest of places and in the unlikeliest of times."**_

* * *

And the award for the worst mother goes to…

Amidst the shower of rotten eggs and tomatoes and much howling, enters.

Ms Hermione Granger.

The ex-war heroine, one-third of the golden trio, brightest witch of her age and if you ask (of course nicely) to a particular potions master's portrait back at Hogwarts, an insufferable know-it-all.

She actually was an awful mother.

Who abandons her only child, that too on her birthday? That would be none other than, herself.

She raggedly sucked in a puff of air as if she couldn't breathe, what with her drowning in her own self-loathing.

Hermione winced as she sat in front of her boss or rather 'the deranged dingbat', as his employee's referred to him when his gargantuan back was turned. She fumed at the absolute nerve of the damned man.

He couldn't even bother to turn up on a normal working day but decides to grace the rest of the lesser being with his foul presence, on the only day she always took a leave. Someday, she thought, someday when she wasn't feeling her magnanimous self, she will set off the wonder Weasley twins after him. And with the thoughts of the Weasley clan followed the numbing sadness.

She had no love lost with Ron anymore, but she hated him more than anything. Not because she found him wrapped around a leggy blond every other day, not because she was jealous or anything but because he chose to forget the wonderful daughter they had made together. She had considered the hasty marriage with Ron a mistake. They were all broken and beaten from the war, struggling to find any resemblance of hope and normalcy amidst each other, but she could never in her worst nightmare considered her daughter a mistake. White anger sliced through her thinking about the betrayal Ron and dished upon them both.

Even after reminding him again and again, that absolute moron still forgot to wish his daughter. And the darling that her daughter was, made a brave face when she found, not even a card from her father today morning.

Oh! Ron hadn't fathomed the depths she could go to protect her loved ones, but he should have known that. Because it wasn't a long time ago, that he himself was one of those who enjoyed her love and loyalty.

But now nothing will ever stand in between her daughter's happiness, nothing.

She broke the yammering of her boss, midway.

"Mr Dinglebert, as much as I am happy to carry on this meeting, but alas I really have to go. Because technically I am still on leave and as much as I can see my work here is done."

"Ms Granger, you can _go_ when the meeting is finished. Yes, as I was saying …"

"Well Dinglebert, I think that's enough for today, that's as much as I can listen anyway without hexing you to Merlin and back. We had a similar meeting a fortnight back where you did nothing but yammered on till our ears bled off. So there was no need for this meeting again and I think we have humoured you enough. So the interdepartmental meeting is adjourned for today," _he_ said.

"What … you can't … this meeting was called for my department appraisal, you can't just dismiss it…"

"Of course, I can," Harry Potter replied sternly. And when the head of the Auror department who was well on his way to become the next Minister of Magic or rather famously known as the boy who lived said anything, one way or the other people, listened. One by one people started making their war out of the room surreptitiously hiding yawns behind their hands.

Hermione mouthed a grateful thank you to Harry as he gave a nod in acknowledgement.

"Go on, run off before Mr Dingbat gets hold of you and dumps a shite load of work. I still don't get it, why you turned down Kingsley's offer for heading this department, at least, I wouldn't have to see Dingbat's ugly mug," Harry good-naturedly whispered in her ear.

She opened her mouth to put on the same argument that they might have had more than, one can count.

"Harry you know…"

"Yes, yes, I know, you want to spend more time with Rose, you are comfortable where you are, blah, blah, blah … but do consider the offer again when Rose is old enough. Because I know how handful they are, James himself alone can put the whole Auror department to shame," said Harry.

As Hermione looked to the person who had been her rock always. When Ron had split up with her, for a moment she was scared that Harry might side with him but as always, Harry had done what was right. And she would be always thankful to him for that.

"Don't forget to come to the party tonight," she reminded him, but she was pretty sure he remembered it alright, unlike someone.

"Of course, like James would let any of us forget. That kid has been bouncing all over the place for a week now. Anyone would think it's his birthday," Harry said with a big smile.

"Well, then I have to rush. I have to pick up a picnic basket and that's the least I could do for leaving her on her birthday, I had to leave her with this kid, Mary. It was the fastest I could get hold of a nanny. For all I know, Rose might be getting kidnapped right now while she's mooning over some wizard's arse."

"Deep breaths, Mione. Are you telling me that, you didn't do a background check on her? Oh please, Hermione, I have known you for a long time. We have come a long way from that day when we fought with that troll in the dungeons to know that, the Hermione Granger doesn't do anything half-arsed. And I know if you _had_ to leave Rose with someone you would have made sure she was in safe hands. So … don't worry, go, have a blast of a time with Rose. We will be there, before time as always, or else James will have my hair. And I am rather attached to mine, makes Ginny swoon every time." He winked.

With a laugh Hermione turned, making a list of things to buy for the picnic in her head when Harry called back hesitatingly.

"Mione … uh! ... He … he hasn't wished yet, has he? "

Hermione's hand tightened a bit around her briefcase while she turned back to answer Harry. And Harry was asking a question whose answer he already knew.

"I am going to hex him in the balls, Mione. That's it. How can he do this to his own daughter? I can't even believe, he would pull this, at least not on her birthday, and not again," said Harry, his infamous temper breaking through the surface.

"Harry, calm down first. You know it very well that, you can't make someone love you. I just hope that, when he, at last, comes to his senses, it wouldn't be too late. And don't worry Rose is a brave girl, she always has been, after all, she is _my_ daughter. So we will be alright. As always. And by the way, Rose has an uncle who dotes on her so much that, he can put any father to shame," replied Hermione.

"I know, she is too much like her mother to be any different. Now scram," Harry said making a shooing gesture with his hands.

With the smiling face of a man who had been her best friend that felt like forever as the last thing on her mind, Hermione made her way through the Department for the regulation and control of Magical creatures.

Hermione was going to make sure that, this would be Rose's best birthday ever. She would make sure that every last of her little girl's wishes came true this year.

 _Little did she knew …?_

 _ **A/N- so guys read, review, favourite, follow … you know the rest.**_


	5. Chapter 5

" _ **The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too."**_

* * *

Hermione apparated to the Leaky Cauldron with a resounding crack that mingled with the people apprating to make use of the sunny morning. She made her way through the odd cobblestoned path in the Diagon Alley. It had a been a long time since she had walked these streets wide-eyed.

The Alley was, as usual, filled with the typical hustle and bustle of the magic world. Little kids oohing-aahing in front of the colorful and glittering window displays of nerve-wracking brooms, tottering piles of spell books, potion ingredients, and cauldrons. And the Wonder Weasley Twin's shop "Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes" was swarming with kids, hell, half of them were even adults. Shaking her head, she laughed thinking how a prank or two could even reduce a grown-up to the likes of a child. She walked towards the much-frequented Café that both she and Rose loved. The cushy chairs and tables with their colorful umbrellas were occupied with customers who had stopped to take advantage of the incredible weather.

The Alley looked as if a big ball of color had burst open, painting every nook and cranny with different shades of happiness. Gone was the shabby, saddened and dreaded sight that had hugged these streets at the time of second wizarding war. The war had ended, and it had taken with itself the last vestiges of sorrow.

People have moved on, or so it seemed. Though she was sure there were still some people who woke up in the middle of the night with their sheets twisted around their bodies and the last traces of the scream fading into the night along with the nightmares.

She still slept with her wand under her pillow. Just like Harry did with his.

Deciding not to dwell any more on those morose thoughts, she entered the café. Their cupcakes held a special place in Rose's heart or rather in her tummy. And within a half an hour, she had all the things for their picnic shrunk and packed inside her handbag.

As she was making her way back to the Leaky Cauldron to apparated back to the park, something caught her eye. She paused for a second and looked through the window display of one of the recently opened gift shop.

The thing that had caught her eye was, to be frank, would look a bit common to an outsider. But she knew that her daughter would absolutely love it. It was a snow globe, a snow globe with little snow angels floating around in circles, chasing each other. The beautiful snowflakes, each stunning and unique than the other, fell around making it look like a winter wonderland.

Hermione had to agree, that this, indeed was a splendid piece of magic. And she knew that this would be the perfect gift for Rose because she was as beautiful and as unique as a snowflake. With a smile breaking out on her lips, she entered the shop.

Fifteen minutes later with a brightly coloured gift tucked under her arms Hermione apparated to the front of the park, where she had left Rose, with Mary. Making sure that no Muggle had seen a lady who had seemingly appeared out of thin air, she made her way in.

Hermione raised her head, soaking up the warmth of the sun. The sky was filled with a bunch of gauzy clouds, it looked as if a toddler had a hell of a day with a bundle of cotton. The sun was shining like a newly minted galleon. The weather was in sync with her. She wanted this to be the best birthday her daughter ever had. They have already had a sucky start, so she hoped with all her heart that the rest of the day went smoothly.

She took in a lungful of the fresh air, as she made her way inside. And looked all over the place for a five-year-old girl with a mass of unruly auburn curls just like hers.

Her breath whooshed out in a gust as her eyes rested upon a prone figure.

Was that… Mary…unconscious… or was she sleeping… and why was she _alone?_

 _Oh, my god! My daughter! Rose!_

Hermione's heart was writhing somewhere near her toes, as dread filled her heart. She thought she had seen all the horrors one could possibly see in a lifetime, but she was so wrong. Her breaths were coming in short gasps. All kinds of horrific scenario flashed through her mind as if someone had played a horror movie and forgot the stop button. What if she was kidnapped, what if something happened, what if… no, no, no, she is all right. Because she had to be? Her eyes filled with tears, as they hungrily searched all around. However, she tried to calm herself, her heart was flailing all over the place.

Hermione shoved the sleeping nanny a little roughly, and she wasn't sorry… even a bit.

The girl woke from her slumber and rubbed her eyes… she took in the angry mum growling on her face. And it would suffice to say that, she knew that she was going to be hexed by the famous Hermione Granger herself, most probably by the end of the day.

"Where is Rose? You absolute moron? How dare you sleep while working? And if… _if_ anything happened to my daughter, even a tiny scratch. I will hex you till the next millennium."

"Oh my god! Ms. Granger, I am so sorry. I don't know how I fell asleep. I must have dozed off for a moment. I am so sorry, I will start looking for her right away. I am so sorry," she started pleading. Her incoherent pleas mixed with the disarray from her slumber.

"You better be." Hermione all but snarled on her face.

As panic gripped her heart, she prayed, she pleaded, and she begged all the gods above to keep her daughter safe.

"ROSE!" She screamed her head off.

Honing her battle beaten head, she looked all around the park as if her life depended on it because it did. The year on the run with Harry and Ron had, at least, taught her the bitter nuances of life. Nothing was ever safe. It had been years, and she still woke up with sweat drenched sheets to the horrors of the war. And she couldn't forgive herself if anything happened to her daughter. Because she didn't know if it was possible to live without one's heart.

And there, as her eyes landed on a head full of brown curls, a wave of relief washed over her. Her body sagging with respite.

Hermione thanked the Merlin, the gods, whoever out there was present in duty to listen to one's prayers. With her heart pounding from the residual adrenaline rush, she broke into a run towards Rose.

But it wouldn't be wrong to say that the relief was short-lived. The respite from moments before morphed into anger for scaring five years out of her life.

Was that her Rose… her Rose talking with a _stranger_!

Oh, my god! She was so going to be dead.

After Hermione had maimed whoever that man was… of course.

" _ROSALYN JANE GRANGER!_ "

* * *

 _ **Review lovelies!**_


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione marched towards Rose. Her sole focus was on her little girl, eyes searching all over her little body for the tale-tell sign of injuries as the surrounding morphed into a hazy blur. She could feel herself getting angrier by the minute. And she was perfectly sure that her impeccably coiffed bun was unravelling and taking the shape of some crazy fizzy monstrosity.

She had drilled into Rose and James from the time they could even crawl about the stranger danger. But look at her now, taking off without telling her nanny, or whatever excuse of a nanny she was. Hermione spared an inconsiderate glance to the said blond man, she would take care of him later on. She wasn't called the brightest witch of her age for anything.

Her whole concentration was on the little girl who was looking guilty as hell. She pushed aside the man and hugged her daughter close. She was relieved, oh, how she was relieved but with barely concealed anger she fired a barrel of questions. She couldn't even measure how mad she was.

"What do you think you are doing, Rose? Taking off without having informed your nanny. And what have I taught you about talking with strangers? You, young Missy, can kiss goodbye to the T.V privileges this week and Quidditch with James too," she rumbled.

On finding no injuries on her, Hermione had calmed down, a bit, her daughter was safe and that is what truly mattered. She sighed in relief as she pulled little Rose into a bone-crushing hug again, her body sagging in relief and as the last traces of fear drained through. Before she could lose herself in another spiel of self-recrimination, that how she could have been a better mother, somebody coughed beside her.

 _Oh damn!_

That man. How could she have forgotten about him? She probably should have stupefied him before ranting her head off at her daughter.

"Uh… huh, Granger. You can take a breather now, you know. Your daughter was completely safe."

And boy! She could have recognized that drawl, even amongst a crowd of people and with her eyes blindfolded. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, because she was going to need all the oxygen she can snuff into her head, just to hold a civil conversation with him. She still ignored him and looked at her daughter.

"Rose you can't just run off like that. Even though your babysitter," she gave a death glare to the cowering woman standing far off to the side, "was sleeping you should have stayed with her."

Rose raised herself on her toes and gave Hermione a sloppy kiss on the cheek.

"I'm sorry, Mummy, I didn't mean to frighten you. I was bored out of my mind so I came to talk and found Mr. Draco. He said the same thing to me too, but you see he isn't a stranger anymore. He is my new friend." Rose said with as much innocence a guilty kid could muster.

Hermione finally looked up at the man who her daughter was conversing with, her eyebrows raised up. She had truly thought that she would never see this man again. The last time being in front of the whole of the Wizengamot, waiting for his fate to be decided. But look at him now, here he was talking and basically watching after her daughter.

Last time he had looked as if death had warmed over him. His family name was in ruins, his mother was under house-arrest and his father was in Azkaban and he himself was well, on his way there too.

Nevertheless, the years have been good to him. He had filled out, the gaunt and pale face now looked regal and handsome, well, like a Malfoy. But the eyes, they were still the same. They were still sad, alone, and haunted.

"Malfoy?"

Draco, whose blasted smirk hadn't left his face, said "Granger."

Hermione knew it was illogical, irrational and really, really petty but her hands unconsciously pushed a struggling Rose behind her back as if shielding her. She knew he meant no harm but still her hands tightened on her wand till they were white. And Draco Malfoy's hawk-like eyes didn't miss those movements.

Those gray stormy eyes hardened in a flash, and gone was the man from a minute ago who had been smiling at her daughter. He took a step back raising his wand free hands as if to say he had meant no harm.

"Merlin, Granger. Ease off. I meant no harm, I didn't even knew she was yours. So don't worry your bushy little head. I wasn't giving your daughter a Death-eater class 101," he said in a harsh whisper so that Rose wouldn't hear anything. With a look so forlorn, a look that she had seen a lot in his face in their sixth year. He stepped back and with a slight nod turned away from them.

God, she had never been this haughty and it wasn't even in her nature to be so mean. And after all, he had kept her daughter safe while that stupid girl went off to la-la land. Moreover what right did she have to be so rude to him? And for what, for his sins he committed in his past, for bullying her, for being an all-around brat?

Haven't they all changed, all grown up? Shouldn't she give him a second chance? After all, she was the queen of giving second chances. Look at the hundreds of those she had handed out to Ron and what good did it do. Nothing.

Her heart told her that her action had hurt him. Though it was impossible to imagine anybody having the power to hurt Draco but punishing someone for decisions he had no choice over would have been low.

 _Oh, my god!_ Hermione thought. Now she felt like the lowest of the low. She remembered a little announcement about the burial of Malfoy Sr when she had looked through the prophet this morning while hastily shoving a dry toast down her throat.

Here was the man, taking care of her daughter just after burying his father and here was she, behaving as if he had Lord Voldemort hanging off his back. God, now she would have to apologise to him.

"Draco?" Hermione called tentatively. "I am sorry. I didn't actually mean that. I was just scared for Rose. I really didn't mean it in that way, that you would harm her, it was just a reflex. And I am sorry for your father." She whispered.

He turned back again and looked at her, his harsh features softening a bit and he nodded in understanding and then he kept on staring at her face as a faint trace of a smile broke on his lips. "Thank you and I understand, I think. And for god's sake, Granger stop looking like your favorite puppy died. I have had enough sympathies to last me a lifetime."

Rose pushed out of her hold and looked at her and then at Draco, apparently her new friend. "Draco you know my mummy? Why didn't you say anything?"

The transformation in Draco's face actually floored Hermione. The complete look of adoration on his face towards her daughter was doing funny things to her heart. He laughed, the sound rich and smooth and a bit rusty as if he rarely used it. "How could I silly, Rose, you didn't tell me your mother was Hermione."

Her daughter, Rose, actually blushed and bit her lip, a trait she had clearly picked up from her. And Hermione could see the beginnings of hero-worship in her eyes and then she looked at Draco and just knew that heartbreak town wasn't far off.

After this chance meeting, he would go back to his world where people like her and Rose had no place and her daughter would be left out, again. But she couldn't deny her daughter this... this happiness. She stared at Draco who in turn was staring adoringly at Rose and she didn't have the heart to upset her daughter by asking Draco to leave, at least, not today, not on her birthday.

"Oh, you're right, sorry," Rose said shyly.

Draco glided his hand tenderly down Rose's hair, tucking a stray curl behind her ear and replied in a soft reverent tone. "No need to apologize, dear. But I do have to say this is an interesting turn of events."

"Who are you? And what did you do to _the Draco Malfoy_?" Hermione asked still in shock seeing their interaction.

He directed that deadly smile towards her and said with an air of mischief, "I think you punched him sometime in our third year."

And without even knowing Hermione broke into a laugh. "Oh, I shouldn't have done that. Though I am not sorry, not even a bit."

"Well, that's good. Because you shouldn't be. And I obviously deserved that."

"What you punched Mr. Draco? Like in the nose?" Her daughter chirped from beside.

"Well, I uhh…"

"Because your Mum had to. I was behaving like a right little brat." Draco replied to Rose.

"So, can I punch James when he is behaving like a prat too?" Rose looked at her, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Oh, no. You are not going to punch anyone. And James still has to grow back those two front teeth that he lost in a fight with you." She replied with a smile.

"So, Malfoy? Want to start over?" she raised her hand and stared at the half smirking face of the boy she had hated with all her fourteen-year-old heart and waited.

He stared at her hand hanging in the midway, and just as she was going to declare all this a big mistake and retrieve her hand back, he clasped it.

"Yes, Granger. I would like that. Let's starts over."

Hermione couldn't help but feel her heart strings tug as his large warm wrapped around hers. Before she could fathom that her wildly beating heartbeat was the result of the last dregs of the adrenaline coursing through her blood or the man standing in front holding her hand, she felt a yank on her pants pulling her away from her wayward thoughts, "What? Oh, Rose did you say something?"

Rose huffed, causing the adults around her to chuckle. "I asked, are we still having our picnic or not?

 _ **Love and review.**_


	7. Chapter 7

Draco Malfoy came to the sparkling conclusion that, yes, Hermione Granger's bushy hair did get bushier as she grew angrier by the minute. For a moment, he was afraid that that mass of hair might burst forth from that messy bun and strangle them all.

He stared at her small hand, wrapped around his own larger ones. His pale alabaster skin at odds against her golden tanned fingers.

Merlin, she hadn't changed a bit. Still the same frizzy hair, though they had calmed a bit with age, still the same proud little nose, still the same hazel brown eyes. Oh, she had changed, age and motherhood had filled her out in a way that always drew a man's attention. Hell, she had always drawn attention. His attention. At first, she had been an enigma to his eleven-year-old prejudiced eyes. A mudblood who had bested the best of purebloods. She had entered the world that had been unknown to her till then and conquered it. Then gradually his view had changed, he had noticed her as a man would notice a woman. But then the chasm of difference had been so deep and dark that it was impossible for him to cross. But now, he drank her in like a man who was parched to his bones.

A sudden feeling of self-loathing had filled him when Hermione had unconsciously pushed Rose behind her as if to shield her. Shield her from what, him. He agreed that he had done a lot of unspeakable things in his life that he wasn't proud of. But to hurt an innocent child… never.

It had been years since the war had ended but still the world looked at him as if he was a monster. Well, they have stopped sneering outright at his face, after all, he had established himself back in the society but people were still wary of him. Why would she be any different? Though he would never utter it aloud but his heart had broken a little at that time.

 _God! He was behaving like a sap,_ he thought. He had turned back to apparate out when her soft voice had stopped him in his track.

She had apologised!

There she stood, apologising for a mistake, which he wasn't even sure was actually a mistake or not. Her eyes sincere and filled with concern. He had listened to her as she babbled how it was just a reflex, she didn't mean anything by it.

And he remembered, how years back similarly a mother had stood proudly on the uneven ground of the dark forbidden forest in front the Dark Lord and lied through her teeth without even flinching, to his face. That day a mother had stood up without even sparing a thought for herself and lied to the evilest wizard that had been. To save her son… to save him.

Hell, if Rose had been his daughter and he would have been standing in Hermione's place he surely would have hexed the person first. So he understood what Hermione was going through and he had smiled back at her. It was galling to see that, the relief on her face did something inside him. And when she gave a chance to start over he was beside himself with something… something that felt like warmth and hope.

Her slight hands were still tucked inside his warmly. His heart beat at a wild pace as he tried to decipher the waves of feelings rushing through him.

The moment broke when little Rose tugged at her mother's pants.

Did he mention that Hermione Granger has great legs?

"So are we still going to have our picnic or not? I mean, I know what I did was wrong but it is still my birthday..." she said with her lips turning in a small pout.

Draco smiled at her attempt to get what she wanted which kind of reminded him of himself when he was younger.

One day she would make a really worthy Slytherin.

How the hell does someone say no to her? One look into her eyes, so like her mother's and he was a total goner.

Hermione glared at her daughter, but if you looked close you could see the twinkle of amusement in her eyes. "Now, Rose I have a couple of things to say; one, what you did was horrible and your punishment of no TV and no quidditch for a week still stands. Two, you are lucky that the 'stranger' you met was actually an old friend of mine" she squeaked out the word friend and he tried to not get offended at that, "and not someone bad. Third, it is still your birthday so yes, we are still having our picnic, and your party is still on too. Or else James would render Uncle Harry bald and then Aunt Ginny would kill me. But you may not play with anything that you are given today. You need to realize that your actions have consequences. Is that understood?"

"Damn, you Potter," Draco muttered to himself. Trust him to be the favorite uncle, he thought to himself.

"Malfoy, did you mutter something?" Hermione asked, her brows furrowing into a cute frown.

"Ah, no course not. Malfoy's don't mutter," he said with the best imitation of himself when he was in school.

"Are you sure because that sounded terribly like Potter and damn, though I am not sure in which order they came," she said, a playful smile trying to spill out of her lips.

Rose was as relieved as a five-year-old could get. "Yes, I understand Mummy. Thank you! Oh, I told Draco that he could come with us to the picnic, is that alright?"

Hermione looked at Draco, her face a mixture of confusion and awkwardness.

He shrugged and said, "It's OK I didn't even tell her that I was going to join. You take your daughter on her birthday picnic."

But then, Rose was not having that answer, "No! I want you to come, Mr. Draco."

She turned to her mother her eyes big as a saucer as started talking a mile a minute, "You see, he just lost someone today, he said he didn't love them anymore but he was still sad. So I told him what you said about Henry when I lost him and that how it is ok to be sad about someone you don't love anymore. And he is my friend. Please, Mummy, it's my birthday."

 _Merlin!_ This was the day the Draco Malfoy would like to record in the history as the day he got embarrassed by a little five-year-old. He could feel his cheeks reddening from the blood rushing into them. He looked at Hermione as she stared at him sadly. God, he didn't want her pity.

He straightened up and coughed a bit to ward off the embarrassment. Hermione looked from her determined daughter to Draco. "Well, I did bring plenty of food and when Rose makes up her mind it is hard to change it. You see she is rather stubborn and I'm completely baffled on where she got that trait from. So Draco Malfoy would you like to join us for our picnic?" she said with a smile.

Draco soon joined her as his discomfiture dissolved when she didn't ask further about his father's funeral, "Yes I would love to if you don't mind. Though I had no idea that you are stubborn. That girl who wouldn't ever give up on anything was perhaps someone else from school," he said with a laugh of his own.

But in reality, he didn't want to go back to the dark dusty Manor, not yet. He just wanted a little bit time in the sunshine, in the warmth of these two beautiful people. Just a bit more before he had to go back to his life. Because the people of darkness like him have no place in the light with them.

So just a little bit more.

This was the first time that he had laughed with so much freedom. He looked at Hermione as she wiped away a tear that had formed from laughing so hard. She didn't have the practised condescending laugh like the witches of the pureblood society who hung onto him like blood sucking leeches in parties, trying to snag the Malfoy heir. No, she laughed with abandon, right from her heart. The kind of laugh that's infectious, the one which would force you to join in. She laughed full from her belly and he liked that about her. He liked that she didn't care what the world thought about her.

She quietened and turned towards Mary. God, they had forgotten the stupid bint was still standing. "I'm not sure why you are still here because I am not paying you since you clearly didn't watch my daughter. You are lucky that I didn't hex you, but I will be reporting your behaviour to your superior and the proper actions will be taken. I will see to it that you never watch another child again."

Mary attempted to retort but Draco gave her the infamous Malfoy stare that he had perfected before he could even walk. Seeing that not only Hermione was mad so was he, she thought better of it. She quickly apparated out of the park leaving the three of them alone.

"Alright with that settled, I guess we should get going on with our picnic." Before Hermione could finish her sentence little hands grabbed onto his and started pulling.

"Common, common, common… Let's go Mr. Draco, I am so hungry. I could eat a hippogriff, though I am not sure how they would taste. "

He looked at Rose and instinctively a smile stretched on his lips.

"Wait here both of you, let me grab on the basket."

He ran to grab the basket that Hermione had dropped when she was searching for Rose and did a quick reparo in case anything was broken and then added a protection charm to be on the safe side.

Draco met Hermione halfway with Rose held tightly in her arms. She smiled and said, "There's a lake on the far side of the park. We can have our picnic there."

He nodded and fell in step with them. He looked at the pair of them, quite at ease with the narrow path but he still was cautious to catch them if they stumbled. He could make out the sunlight glinting off the blue water through the branches of the trees.

The little chit was talking nonstop, right from who did what in her playschool, how James was a git- at which Hermione made a face. Well, she was right at that, any offspring of the scar-head was sure to be a git.

"Oh, Mummy can I feed the ducks? And can Mr. Draco feed them too? Please?"

"Yes, you can feed them and you will have to ask Mr. Draco if he wants to or not?" Hermione said softly.

Rose turned sideways from her mother's arms, her little body vibrating with excitement, "Please, Mr. Draco say yes." And then she added conspiratorially in a mock whisper in her mother's ear, "And then maybe we can push him into the water like we did with Uncle Harry."

Draco was going to say yes even before she finished the question but then she said something about getting pushed into the water and at that point, he started to scowl.

Both Hermione and Rose burst out laughing.

"Don't worry, Malfoy your perfect hair won't get ruined. I think, they are probably scared to move or something."

 _ **A/N- hope you like the chapter. And you guys are the best and the awesomest. I love all of your reviews.**_


	8. Chapter 8

He could have never imagined that something as trivial as sandwiches and cupcakes could taste so heavenly to him. A man who had never dined in anything less than a place where the price of a champagne could float a family of four for a month. A man whose mother threw lavish parties where the food was more a work of art than fulfilling and was the talk of the town.

So maybe there is some truth in the words that food tastes better in good company.

Draco wiped his hands on a paper napkin as he watched Hermione admonish Rose to eat with her mouth closed. The little girl closed her mouth and gobbled up in a hurry so she could carry on with her tale.

By the time they were done there was a veritable mess all around them. And half the frosting of all the cupcakes on Rose's face. She smacked her lips and announced, "Best birthday ever!"

He watched Hermione smile at that and lean forward to wipe Rose's face clean.

Draco stared at the softening glare of the sun which would go down in few hours and so would the day. The day that would have been smeared in black like the fading scar on his arm but had turned out to be a memorable one. Soon both of them will go back to their perfect lives. Lives where you have perfect Potter for uncle. A life where people like him would have no place.

The little boy who always demanded to have the best in everything had died with the war so he had no right to demand anything from them. This had kind of been a dream to him. A patch of sunlight in the midst of dark gory nights. A dream that had to end.

So this will be it.

"Oh, Mum! Look a butterfly," Rose got up and ran ahead to chase a bunch of butterflies scattered around a bush.

Draco saw Hermione get up to clean up the mess that they had made so he swatted her hand away, "Wait, and let me do that."

"Oh, no. It's all right, I can do it," Hermione said.

"No, let me. After crashing your picnic and stealing half of your food, it's the least I can do."

"Um, you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Okay," Hermione replied unsurely.

"Well, it looks like your daughter has the table manners of his father," Draco said and he rounded up the used napkins.

Though there was no heat behind his words, he felt Hermione tensing up at his side.

 _Way to go, Malfoy. Why don't you just call her a mudblood and be done with it, or if you are lucky she herself might just do the honours and punch you in the face,_ he thought as he mentally slapped himself.

"I am sorry. I really didn't mean to hurt you," Draco said softly.

"It's all right. It's been years since I have taken anyone's head off for talking about Ron. And I think that was your sneaky Slytherin way to ask what happened between us. Isn't it? It was splashed all over the Daily Prophet, thought you would know all about it," Hermione said with a sad smile.

"I didn't. I mean, of course, I had heard rumours about it years back but what with being busy trying to wipe some of that stain from my name took a majority of my time. Actually, it was, Rose who said it," he said guiltily, least she thinks he was digging information about her from her daughter.

"She talked to you about Ron!" Hermione asked with a flash of surprise.

"Yes. Why? Is something the problem?"

"Well, no. I mean she never talks about him. Whenever Ron's name comes up in conversation she just clams up. So I have tried my best to make her talk about it. But she never does. You are perhaps the first person that she had voluntarily opened up to," Hermione said.

"Maybe because I talked about my loss so she did. And I think Ronald Weasley is a stupid arse for ever letting that perfect child go. Anyone would be lucky to have her. And the full credit goes to you."

A bright smile split her face in half as she said, "She is perfect, isn't she."

Both of them looked towards the girl who was still running after butterflies' unknown to their sombre talks.

"Stupid arse!"

When she looked questioningly at him. "I am calling him an arse again because he left you. The perfect woman anyone could have."

"Maybe I was too perfect for him. Maybe that was the problem. After the war, we were all so busy in finding some sane version of normalcy, someone to hold on when the nightmares came at night that we forgot the bigger picture in the horizon. There was so much loss all around that we just clung on to each other. Ron and I got married so fast that we didn't realise that we didn't really get along, that we were good as friends only, but then Rose came along. A lot of things I have done that I would regret but she was never one. A beautiful surprise is what she is. And after Rose, I tried to make the marriage work but you can't force someone to love if they can't. She's brave. She doesn't show how upset she is when I am the only Mum in her class when it's clearly 'Bring your Dad day' at school but its damn hard not to notice. And the old insecurities raise their heads up, maybe I should have tried a little harder, maybe …" she said softly.

"Never think the problem was with you. The war broke a lot of families. And if he cannot value the precious things in his life, then maybe he doesn't deserve them at all. Take it from me, with the things the war has taken from me, I have a rough idea how precious life is," Draco said.

Warmth settled over his hand as he looked down to see Hermione's hands wrapped around his. Merlin knows how long they sat like that, hand in hand, drawing comfort from something as simple as holding hands.

Draco felt a different kind of warmth on his watch hand, he looked down to find his watch glowing. He knew that only his Mother could communicate like this so for a moment he was worried sick about her. He tapped his wand to the watch as her message glowed on the dial.

 _Where are you Draco? Come soon._

Draco took in a deep breath and said, "I have left my Mother alone for a long time now. It's time I left."

With a look of understanding, she nodded. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter. And thank you for … well … talking with me."

He smiled. "Thank you for sharing this special day with me, giving me something to remember this day with a smile. Your daughter is beautiful."

 **…**

Oh, Dragons! Old peoples are so weird, Rose thought to herself as she pretended to chase a butterfly a little far from where her mum and Mr Draco sat. Who liked butterflies anyway, well, James did. But then he liked anything that was colourful. On the other hand she, she liked dragons. After all, they breathe fire and how cool was that.

Draco and Mum had talked throughout the picnic and she was glad they did. Because didn't all old people liked talking? They had made fun of each other over how neatly Mr Draco could eat a messy food and how her mum organised things like she was still in school. It was a good thing they knew each other from school then she wouldn't have to work from the start. It looked like her mum hated Mr Draco when they were in school but it was all right because Alex, a boy from her school had tripped on her shiny pink shoes on their first day and she had hated him them. And now look at them, they were best friends.

Rose didn't understand all that teasing but she could see her mother laughing. She could see her mother happy. And moreover, she could see Mr Draco happy too. And that was all that mattered.

She couldn't have found a better man to be her Daddy than Mr Draco. He was good. He made her mum laugh. And he was tall. She was quite sure if he hugged them then his arms would go all around them.

"Rose! Sweetheart, it's time we went back. James would be home soon with the Potters and Weasleys," her mum called out to her.

Oh, no. Was it time already? She wasn't ready to leave. They haven't fallen in love yet. She didn't know where Mr Draco lived. What if they never saw each other? What if he never became her daddy?

Why couldn't they fall in love already? She already knew who she was going to marry. Alex. He always played daddy when she played mummy to her dolls when they played house-house. And James always played their pet dog because he barked really well. So why couldn't they decide?

Maybe she could invite him to tonight's party? Then they both would have more time to talk. After all, they were holding hands some time back like Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny did. Well, her mum wouldn't fall for the big eyes trick that James taught her … again. But it was worth a try.

She skipped towards them. And helped her mum pack up the leftovers.

And when it was time to go, she looked prettily at her mum, "Mum, wouldn't it be really cool if Mr Draco came to my party tonight?"

Her mum looked at her sadly and then sighed. It was one of those sighs where she was preparing herself to tell her some bad news something like your dad forgot your birthday … again. Before her Mum could do some asking, Mr Draco kneeled in front of her.

"Rose, I would have been honoured to make it to your party. But unfortunately, my mother is not feeling well so I must return to her. It had been a tiring day for her and she needs me. I am really sorry."

What? Now she can't even cry and make him agree with her because Mum's were the best part of anyone's life. And if his mum needed him then should go. But this can't be it. They call her stubborn for nothing. So she leaned towards him and whispered conspiratorially. "You like my Mum, right?"

When he stared dumbly, she cheekily said. "Of course, you do. She is the best. And as we both like books, so every Sunday in the afternoon we go to the Flour and Boots shop."

"You mean Flourish and Botts?"

"Yeah, yeah that one. So will you come? To meet me. And my _Mum_."

Rose looked at Draco as he stared very peculiarly at her. Then a big smile swallowed his whole face.

"You cheeky little brat! You planned all of this didn't you?"

With a blinding smile of her own, she replied, "I don't know what you are talking, Mr Draco. And don't be late on Sunday because we will be waiting and wear something in blue, it's her favourite colour."

Before he could say no or do anything else she smacked a sloppy kiss on his cheek and skipped towards her Mum. "Common, Mum. I don't wanna be late to my own party."

Her Mum looked suspiciously and asked, "What were you two whispering about?"

"Oh, nothing, Mum. I was just saying goodbye."

 **…**

 _Merlin, save us all from scheming women!_

Draco Malfoy thought to himself as he looked at the retreating backs of the two people who in the short span had become important to him. Who knew that bunking his own Father's funeral would lead him to such a place? And if for nothing else he would thank Lucius Malfoy for that.

The little chit had all but given him her blessings and never it be told that Draco Malfoy didn't use the golden opportunity he was given. After all, he was a Slytherin and they were notorious for being a cunning lot.

It looked like he would have to cancel the brunch date his mother had fixed with Pansy Parkinson.

It looked like all of his Sundays were going to be taken from now on.

* * *

 _ **A/N- well, two more chapters. And then it's going the end.**_ _ **. .**_

 _ **Review sweets!**_


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